Five reasons to visit Norway

Reindeer walking across a plateau. Photo by Anders Gjengeda courtesy of Visitnorway.com

Visit Norway have sent me a video about their beautiful country showing some of the great things to do there. I’ve not been to Norway so I was interested to find out more about it. It turns out that it’s a great place for a summer trip. Look how lovely and relaxing it is:

Norway is one of the largest countries in Europe but is sparsely populated. Its spectacular and varied geography of mountains, forests, fjords and glaciers is dotted with some wonderful towns and cities. The country stretches in a narrow line along its border with Sweden, Finland, across the Arctic Circle and up to Russia. Here are five reasons why I’d love to visit Norway.

Wildlife

From whales and puffins to polar bears and king crabs there’s all sorts of interesting wildlife to spot in Norway and lots of ways to see it. You can go dog-sledding with huskies, take a boat trip to find sea eagles or go on a hike and look for reindeer. Wherever you go outside of the towns and cities I reckon you’d spot some wildlife if you looked carefully.

Adventure

There are loads of adventurous activities on offer against a backdrop of stunning scenery in Norway. From kayaking to cycling, hiking to sailing there’s so much on offer that Lonely Planet has named Norway as one of the top ten adventure destinations in the world.

Midnight sun

The further north you go in Norway in summer the longer the days become until the sun never sets and can even be seen at midnight. This must be an amazing phenomenon to experience – although I wouldn’t be so keen to be there in the middle of winter when the sun never rises.

Oslo

Around ten per cent of the Norwegian population lives in Oslo, the country’s capital. It sounds like a relaxed, open, friendly place. The Royal Palace would be interesting to see – it has no railings or walls around it and its grounds are open to the public. I’d like to visit the Nobel Peace Centre too and find out about the people who’ve won this prize.

Fjords

Norway is known for its beautiful and spectacular fjords: long, narrow inlets stretching from the coast deep into the mountains. The fjords were created by glaciers and then filled with water at the end of the last ice age to create the dramatic scenery we can see today and it would be wonderful to go and see them.

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I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel. My clients include the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller and Waitrose Weekend. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth children, dog and cat. I previously worked as a BBC radio producer.

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Comments

Hi, I am starting to research a trip to Norway but not till 2019 – nothing like planning ahead! We are coming from Australia and will probably only have 2.5 or 3 weeks so will be an expensive short-ish trip. But I am giddy with excitement already! Thanks for the info 🙂

We love Norway. In fact we love Scandinavia full stop. We’ve had a few trips there (Eurovision Song Contest and a visit to the real Santa). I know we’ll go back and sample different areas. I love the clean air, the fresh food, the people.
Hayley xDowns Side Up recently posted…#TeamT21 November Linky

Interesting, we are thinking of going to Norway for a week this summer, as an alternative to Alaska, a little too far for the time we have available. any links you think might be useful would be great….

My sister used to live in Oslo and I visited a couple times. I really enjoyed visiting in the summer – when there was light until midnight. It was a bit surreal. Oslo has some great cafes and museums too. Note to self – must visit again!Susanna recently posted…Spring: Yosemite’s best kept secret

I’ve only been to Oslo in Norway, but I’d definitely like to go back and explore more of the country. The only thing stopping me at the moment are the prices – so expensive!Sam recently posted…April 2014 Report

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.